Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Ongoing Shortages Drive Local Officials To Hunt For Tests, Make Own Deals With Labs
The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Communities Struggle To Deal With Coronavirus Testing Backlogs
Despite efforts to ramp up mass testing for the new coronavirus this week, many cities and states are facing more shortages and backlogs as demand surges. Nearly a month into the outbreak, local officials are increasingly taking matters into their own hands so they can obtain critical equipment and grasp the extent of the virus’s spread in their communities. That includes working with private labs and forging direct relationships with test suppliers on the other side of the world. (Frosch, Paul and Mai-Duc, 3/25)
Kaiser Health News: Some States Are Reporting Incomplete COVID-19 Results, Blurring The Full Picture
Several states are reporting only positive COVID-19 test results from private labs, a practice that paints a misleading picture of how fast the disease is spreading. Maryland, Ohio and others are posting the numbers of new positive tests and deaths, for instance, but don’t report the negative results, which would help show how many people were tested overall. (Schulte, 3/25)
ABC News: Quest Diagnostics Has Capacity To Run 25,000 Coronavirus Tests A Day: CEO
In the two weeks since Quest Diagnostics began processing novel coronavirus samples in its infectious disease lab, the private medical company has increased its capacity to 25,000 tests per day in three labs across the country -- with plans to expand. Quest, one of the nation’s top commercial laboratory companies, has dialed up testing as the pandemic increasingly infects American citizens. (Dukakis, 3/25)
Detroit Free Press: Emergency Order: Michigan Labs Must Make Coronavirus Tests Top Priority
The state's top public health official issued an emergency order Tuesday, establishing new rules for managing the novel coronavirus pandemic as the virus continues to spread in the state.Among them: Michigan labs and facilities that are sampling and processing tests for COVID-19, the disease caused by novel coronavirus, must make that work their top priority. (Shamus, 3/24)
Stat: Startups Touting At-Home Coronavirus Tests Suspend Plans After FDA Input
In a rapid about-face, a handful of startups that had already rolled out at-home coronavirus test kits or planned to start selling them soon have suspended their efforts. It’s the latest twist in an ongoing situation that has unfolded as tech companies have rushed to fill testing gaps with direct-to-consumer kits — and as regulators have rushed to wrangle them. (Brodwin, 3/24)
